Effects of Space on Humans
Gravity One of the biggest dangers to the human body while travelling in space is a force we take for granted every single day: gravity. Gravity, and the lack of it changes how everything in our body interacts. without gravity, humans lose bone density almost twelve times as quickly as an elderly person. Getting adjusted to a different planet's gravity would take time, as you would have to re-learn how quickly your arms move to your face, and other activities you have unknowingly mastered throughout your life. This adjustment would have to occur every time you switch gravity fields, meaning every time you return to earth from an alien planet. Struggling to quickly adapt to different planet's gravity makes bringing supplies to and from space colonies much more difficult. Additionally, while in space, vision problems are common, as are kidney stones. None of these problems can be corrected with modern medicine as we know it because medicines react unpredictably in space. Isolation Another danger that humans will face in space will be the confinement and loneliness due to the limited space available in modern spacecrafts. Humans are social creatures, and the new life started on alien planets would be very lonely. Isolated humans consistently perform worse under pressure, as well as develop depression much more commonly than those with vast social networks. Those who are isolated also have a significantly higher chance of cardiovascular failure and nonlethal strokes. While the humans in a spacecraft won't be totally alone, they will have a small crew with them. These crew mates will help the social isolation aspect of travelling through space; however being in a cramped space with the same individuals for an extended period of time can have its own challenges. Misunderstandings and miscommunication can quickly explode into much larger issues. Space Radiation Radiation is any of the waves from the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to visible light. The smaller the wave, the more energy it posses and the more dangerous it is to humans. The Earth's atmosphere protects humans from these kinds of radiation such as X-rays and gamma rays. When travelling through space humans would be exposed to these rays. These rays are damaging because they are ionizing radiation, meaning that they can pass through substances and damage them at the same time. Stars all produce different wavelengths, and our sun produces these ionizing waves. There is also a different form of radiation in space called Galactic Cosmic Radiation, or GCR. Giant clouds of magnetism and gas that are the remnants of supernovas can accelerate particles almost to the speed of light. These particles, mainly hydrogen and helium, emit gamma rays as they interact with the small amount of gas in space. The minority of GCR that contain heavier particles than hydrogen and helium have the potential to do much more damage to humans and spacecrafts alike. The affects that space radiation has on humans include a significantly higher chance of developing cancer, a decrease in mental abilities, a higher chance of developing cataracts, as well as developing cardiac and circulatory diseases.